On the day after the Containment Base incident, which was also the day Yongan City held its press conference,
Lin Binbin rose early in the morning.
He knew very well that Lord Bai Zhi's true strength far exceeded what the avatar had displayed—it was unfathomably deep.
"Lord Bai Zhi may have even more Agents in the future. I must become the strongest among them, the most favored and trusted servant."
"At the same time, strengthen my physique so I can contain more 'Spirit Fluid'..."
Lin Binbin's thoughts swirled as he arrived at the residential complex's fitness area and trained even harder.
His limbs were bound with sandbags. He ran, jumped, tumbled up and down, striving to build his limbs and core to be robust and powerful.
Bai Zhi's feat of defeating Xingtian had greatly invigorated him.
So it turned out—as long as one's strength was sufficient, one could come and go freely even under the eyes of modern weaponry and Enforcers.
The mysterious, always lay beyond firing range.
Lin Binbin trained so hard also in hopes that one day, he might disregard all the rules and constraints of the outside world and exact revenge upon Li Jiayu.
He believed that day would not be far off.
...
Xingchuan University's library.
It was very quiet here. Many students were preparing and reviewing for the December graduate school entrance exams. Even the earth-shattering events that had occurred in Yongan City yesterday could not affect their plans.
Compared to usual, there were still fewer people in the seats—perhaps they had gone to "eat melons" from yesterday's events.
Some students, however, were openly "eating melons."
For instance, Xia Qimeng.
She was in a corner seat, absorbed in watching the Containment Base's livestream recording from yesterday on her tablet, over and over again.
Though she had already watched it multiple times, when that mysterious spider appeared, her gaze still revealed a mix of seventy percent amazement and thirty percent shock.
When overwhelming strength and bewitching mystery were simultaneously embodied in a single mutant creature with such stark clarity, it held a captivating charm that nearly made her slap the table and cheer.
Even after the video finished playing, Xia Qimeng's serene features still carried a trace of lingering fascination.
She even envied the humans present on the scene who could witness the descent of mystery with their own eyes...
Just as she was staring blankly at her tablet,
her attention was suddenly seized by strange sounds.
Rustle, thud.
Xia Qimeng followed the sound and looked over. She saw a male student at the adjacent desk lying sprawled on the table, his face buried in the crook of his arm, his head twitching ceaselessly, his legs trembling nonstop.
He was also emitting a sickening grinding-of-teeth sound.
Xia Qimeng's elegant brows furrowed slightly. This person had been like this since she came to the library this morning—for several hours now.
"Class Monitor, ignore him. When I was here yesterday, he was like this too. No matter how you call him, he doesn't respond. No idea what kind of evil he's possessed by." The twin-tailed girl who had come to the library with Xia Qimeng said softly.
"Hey, classmate, the library isn't a place for sleeping. And besides, you're disturbing the other students..."
Xia Qimeng sighed, but still walked over to the boy's side and advised kindly.
Just as she was about to place her hand on the boy's shoulder, intending to shake him awake, her outstretched hand suddenly bristled with goosebumps and froze in place.
An ominous premonition surfaced in her heart. Her clear pupils contracted.
The boy slowly turned his head, raising it in Xia Qimeng's direction.
"You..."
Xia Qimeng sharply gasped, forgetting to breathe. Her heart stopped.
Because she saw a rat's face!
The entire face was covered in grey fur. Tiny black beady eyes were set far apart. White whiskers curled upward on both sides. The pointed mouth gaped slightly, fine teeth dripping transparent liquid...
This face was actually growing on a human head!
Boom!
Terrifying unease and fear erupted instantly in Xia Qimeng's mind, challenging every existing biological concept she knew.
"Ahhh!"
Seeing this, the twin-tailed girl let out a piercing shriek that echoed through every floor of the library!
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
The twin-tailed girl got up to flee, shoving tables and chairs so they screeched harshly against the floor. Immense survival instinct drove her to leave this place at all costs, not even caring about her classmate Xia Qimeng.
"WTF!"
"What the hell?!"
The dense sounds of tables and chairs being shoved back sounded in succession. More and more people saw that rat face. The library instantly erupted into clamor.
"Classmate, are you okay? Do you need help?" Xia Qimeng swallowed hard and asked cautiously.
The rat-man maintained his upward-looking posture, his gaze murky. He seemed to become slightly more lucid only after hearing Xia Qimeng's voice.
His pointed mouth moved slightly. Hoarse, unpleasant sounds came out, muffled and indistinct:
"I... don't want this... someone... save me..."
More and more people gathered around, covering their mouths in shock, their gazes filled with terror as they stared at the rat-man.
"Class Monitor?!"
A clear voice rang out from the crowd. Chen Zhang pushed his way through, fists clenched in extreme tension: "What are you doing standing there? Get back here!"
Xia Qimeng gradually retreated, and softly comforted: "It's okay, classmate. The doctors will be here soon. You'll definitely be fine."
"Doctors?"
The rat-man murmured, repeating the word. Then his eyes shifted. Gritting his teeth, he howled: "No! No, I don't want to! I'm not sick! I don't want to see doctors!"
And at the same time, he actually lunged head-first at Xia Qimeng.
Rank wind blasted toward her face—like a ravenous beast pouncing on prey.
Xia Qimeng stumbled backward rapidly, but this mutated rat-man was even faster. The sharp nails were about to reach Xia Qimeng—
Whoosh!
A tall, lean figure cut across in front of the gentle girl, standing like a towering mountain blocking the foul wind. A leg rose with a blast of air and kicked the mutated rat-man flying.
"You alright, Class Monitor?" The figure turned around, asking with concern.
"Thank you, Chen Zhang." Xia Qimeng said, still shaken, and glanced deeply at Chen Zhang's leg.
"Not good—stop him!" Someone in the crowd shouted.
"Roar!"
The fallen mutated rat-man got back up, a thick footprint on his chest. He roared furiously and plunged into the crowd of onlookers like a wolf entering a sheep pen, savaging wildly, provoking shrieks and wails in succession.
The crowd descended into chaos, fleeing in all directions.
"Crap!"
Chen Zhang moved, about to rescue them, but was grabbed by the arm by Xia Qimeng.
"Your kick completely provoked his ferocity. His physique already far exceeds ordinary people, and in this frenzied state, you'd better not take the risk," Xia Qimeng urged.
"But..." Chen Zhang hesitated.
To watch others being torn apart while doing nothing—his upbringing would not allow him to remain indifferent.
"Help...."
The mutated rat-man was now pouncing on a female student, tearing into her madly. Dazzling, piercing blood soon pooled across the ground.
Nearby, two male students with large gashes torn across their chests lay collapsed on the ground, weeping and wailing in pain. Because the mutated rat-man hadn't continued attacking them, kind-hearted bystanders dragged them aside.
"Han Chuan, stop it! She's our classmate!"
A female student cried out, suddenly snatching up a chair and smashing it onto the back of the mutated rat-man who had once been Han Chuan.
Clang! Both chair and Han Chuan emerged unscathed. The girl's strength was, after all, too feeble.
This strike, though effective, was also dangerous. Han Chuan stopped tearing, slowly turned his head—the fur on his face standing up one by one, his eyes brimming with bestial ferocity. With a "waa," he pounced and pinned the girl down.
At this, everyone's courage shattered. No one dared step forward anymore.
"Grandma Li's!"
Witnessing this, Chen Zhang's blood boiled. His face flushed crimson. With a long howl, he charged before Han Chuan in an instant, a fierce kick carrying heavy stored power smashing brutally into Han Chuan's waist and abdomen.
Bang!
Under this foot imbued with surging fury, Han Chuan flew several meters through the air, crashing into a row of bookshelves. A sea of books noisily buried him.
"..."
Everyone was stunned speechless. Utter silence reigned—only Han Chuan's groaning remained.
"Chen Zhang... you finally accepted it..."
Xia Qimeng's gaze was complicated as she looked at that tall, lean figure brimming with overwhelming aura. Her expression was dazed, her heart unable to remain calm.
No one knew that above the library ceiling, eight invisible eyes had also witnessed this scene.